Geoffrey Beck, 50
Head of Department of Defence’s Infrastructure Division, Canberra
Civil engineer, University of NSW

Civil engineer Geoffrey Beck is responsible for the management of the Department of Defence’s property and infrastructure portfolio. The Defence Estate comprises approximately 400 properties and 25,000 assets, with an estimated gross replacement value of $15 billion, embracing both the built and natural environment.
The Infrastructure Division comprises 280 Australian public service and Defence Force officers. It is responsible for the lifecycle management of the estate, including development, approval and delivery of capital infrastructure works; estate planning; management of environmental and heritage matters; and the disposal of surplus Defence properties.
The Division manages about $4 billion of infrastructure projects under development and delivery, through traditional contracting methods and a number of significant public private partnership projects. The expenditure on capital facilities projects in 2006/07 is expected to be in the order of $600 million.

Shireane McKinnie, 50
Head of the Electronic and Weapon Systems Division in the Defence Materiel Organisation, Canberra
Electrical engineer, University of NSW

As head of the Electronic and Weapon Systems Division in the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO), Shireane McKinnie is responsible for acquiring and supporting electronic and weapon systems for the whole of the Defence organisation.
This includes electronic warfare, radar, surveillance, communications, command support, guided weapons and explosive ordnance.
The Division has 1300 staff and an annual budget of approximately $1.3 billion. It has over 100 major capital equipment projects (worth over $20 million) and 50 minor capital equipment projects in the works, as well as 20 major sustainment agreements with Defence.
During her six years as head of the division, McKinnie has established innovative programs for improving software acquisition, systems engineering, and project management processes and skills essential to DMO’s core business of providing acquisition and sustainment services to support the Australian Defence Force.

Stephen Gumley, 50
CEO of the Defence Materiel Organisation, Canberra
Mechanical/electrical engineer, University of Tasmania

Dr Stephen Gumley is the chief executive officer of the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO), Australia’s largest project management organisation. The DMO is part of the Department of Defence, and in 2006/2007 will spend $8.7 billion on acquiring and sustaining military equipment and services.
The organisation employs around 6800 people working in more than 50 locations nationally and internationally.
Gumley’s duties involve managing resources and strategic direction. He is also involved in developing the DMO’s Defence Capability Plan, which outlines all major acquisition and sustainment projects the organisation is responsible for.
He is driving the introduction of higher professional standards to the organisation. “Both DMO and industry need to lift performance, particularly on schedule, to deliver on the Defence Capability Plan. Only working together, as partners, can we deliver to the Australian warfighter and the Australian people,” he explained.

Clive Rossiter, 51
Head of the Aerospace Systems Division in the Defence Materiel Organisation, Canberra
Electrical engineer, Caulfield Institute of Technology

Air Vice-Marshall Clive Rossiter is the head of the Defence Materiel Organisation’s Aerospace Systems Division (ASD), which is responsible for acquiring and sustaining aerospace systems for the Australian Defence Force.
The division of 1500 people provides support to 11 in-service aircraft types and associated ground systems with an annual support budget of $850 million.
It has 30 major capital projects under management with remaining scope valued at $7.5 billion, 24 minor projects under management with annual expenditure of $50 million, and an annual major project expenditure of approximately $1.3 billion.
One of Rossiter’s career highlights was leading the team of engineers responsible for implementing the Air Force’s new engineering regulatory system, which decentralised its engineering structure, and collocated logistics and engineering support with the operational customer.
He enjoys spending time with his family, bike riding, reading, house renovations and learning to play the guitar.

Menno Henneveld, 61
Commissioner of Main Roads, Western Australia, Perth
Civil engineer, University of WA

Menno Henneveld was appointed to the position of commissioner of Main Roads, Western Australia, in 2002. The department is responsible for the management and operation of WA’s road network, which includes 17,800km of national highways and state freeways, highways and main roads.
Main Roads has 1011 staff, including 360 in country regions throughout the state. It has a current budget of $1.1 billion for all the state’s road programs, including the $0.5 billion Perth Bunbury Highway (WA’s largest road project) and the Mitchell Freeway extension.
Henneveld is the chairman of the Australian Road Council (Austroads), the council of all the road agencies in Australia and New Zealand. He is also a non-executive director on the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) and has been nominated as Australia’s first delegate at the World Road Congress, hosted by the World Road Association (PIARC) in Paris in September this year.
In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, travelling and home renovations.

Paul Tyrrell, 62
Chief Executive of the Department of the Chief Minister and Secretary to Cabinet in the Northern Territory, Darwin
Civil engineer, Gordon Institute of Technology, Geelong

Paul Tyrrell has served as chief executive of the Department of the Chief Minister and secretary to cabinet in the Northern Territory since 1999.
He is the most senior public servant in the NT and the most senior public service adviser to the chief minister.
His work involves strategic leadership in major project development and across the public service, advising the chief minister and cabinet on economic and social policies and working to implement government priorities.
He played the leading role in achieving financial close for the $1.1 billion Darwin city waterfront redevelopment and convention centre, with stage one due for completion in 2008, and is now the chairman Darwin Waterfront Corporation.
Tyrrell is currently pursuing a strategy to establish Darwin as a major gas manufacturing and export centre, and has finalised and is now implementing a plan for the development of Darwin over the next 10-15 years.
His other goals include broadening the NT’s economic base; capturing the benefits of the current resources boom and ensuring growth in the regions and remote areas of the territory; and gaining national commitment to a Generational Plan to address the significant disadvantage of indigenous Australians.
Tyrell has a diploma of engineering (civil) from Geelong Gordon Institute of Technology and a bachelor of economics from the University of Queensland.
In his spare time, he enjoys snow skiing, keeping fit, fishing and relaxing with friends on his boat on Darwin Harbour, and watching the Geelong football team.

Gary Liddle, 54
CEO of VicRoads, Melbourne
Civil engineer, University of Melbourne

Gary Liddle has over 30 years of service with VicRoads and its predecessors, having joined the Country Roads Board in 1971 as a cadet.
He was appointed acting chief executive in September 2006 and confirmed as chief executive in March 2007.
VicRoads manages the 22,000km of arterial roads in Victoria, as well as being responsible for registration and licensing in the state.The authority has a staff of around 2700, working with a $1.6 billion expenditure budget and collecting $2.5 billion in revenue for the Victorian government.
Liddle’s achievements include managing integration of land form, landscaping and noise walls for the Eastern Freeway extension (Doncaster to Springvale Roads), which won several awards.
His interests include bike riding, golf, surfing and walking.

Bruce Wilson, 56
Director-General of Queensland Transport, Brisbane
Civil engineer, University of Queensland

Bruce Wilson is the current longest-serving director-general in the Queensland government. He leads the executive team that manages Queensland Transport and, through it, the development of transport in the state.
Queensland Transport has approximately 5000 staff, including over 400 technology professionals. It operates under a $2.5 billion budget and is a major contributor to the state’s $66 billion South-East Queensland Infrastructure Program.
During his time as director-general, Wilson has managed record capital infrastructure programs, implemented public transport integration through Translink, and led national agendas in road, rail and maritime transport.
In his spare time, he enjoys family activities, cycling and gardening (subject to rain).

Ken Mathers, 61
CEO of Southern and Eastern Integrated Transport Authority (SEITA), Melbourne
Civil engineer, Bendigo Technical College

Ken Mathers is leading SEITA in its role of facilitating the development of the EastLink Project in Melbourne, a 39km freeway connecting the Eastern Freeway at Mitcham to the Mornington Peninsula Freeway at Frankston.
EastLink is being delivered as a public private partnership and is currently Australia’s largest urban road project.
SEITA managed the bidding process leading to the appointment of ConnectEast to hold a 39-year concession.
The ASX-listed ConnectEast has awarded a $2.5 billion design and construct contract to Thiess John Holland to deliver all aspects of the project, including the fully electronic tolling system.
SEITA has an ongoing role to manage the concession and ensure ConnectEast complies with all specified requirements. The EastLink Project received The Best Global Project to Reach Financial Close at the Public Private Awards in London in 2005.
SEITA is a small organisation – 32 staff and $10 million turnover – but it has “established a position of being a leading organisation in the development of public private partnership projects, especially toll roads,” Mathers added.

Engineers Australia Magazine, Volume 79 No 6, June 2007.

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